Cancer is among the leading health concerns in the world today. Efficient management of cancer lies in the ability to provide practitioners with a detailed medical history of each patient’s case from varied sources to tailor a suitable treatment. Currently, the available sources do not combine a comprehensive data of the patient’s genomic information and therapeutic data. Lack of an all-in-one source for information not only renders the treatment process lengthy but heightens the possibility of missing out on crucial information.

Speaking during the Fortune Brainstorming Health Conference in San Diego, Eric Lefkofsky noted that clinicians require both molecular and clinical data while offering treatment. The new treatment methodology ought to include the DNA and RNA makeup of the patient alongside information regarding other forms of therapy the patient receives. Other health conditions affecting the patient such as diabetes and the treatment for the same are also among the relevant details required by the practitioner. According to Eric, this information is not readily available to the medical professionals since it may take up to 90 days to collect information from various centers.

It is this realization that Mr Lefkofsky through his organization seeks to create a system that integrates and provides all this information in real time. Through Tempus, he aims to create technology that captures the information held in the electronic medical record (EMR) and the pathology systems and combines to produce the complete information required by clinicians. He reveals that the information will come in handy for practitioners and those working with cancer patients. It will provide them with a platform with adequate data to analyze each patient’s case and offer customized treatment for other health conditions as well.

After graduating from college, Eric Lefkofsky started off in the business world as a carpet seller. After trying his hand in different business ventures, he ventured into the internet arena as an entrepreneur. Currently, he is valued at $1.65 billion and is the co-founder of Groupon among other business firms. He also runs the charitable organization Lefkofsky Family Foundation which he set up in partnership with his wife, Liz, in 2006. The foundation aims to fund high-impact programs that improve the quality of human life. It is under this program that the idea of Tempus originated following his wife’s diagnosis with cancer.